Solutions for construction and demolition waste treatment
A transdisciplinary study initiated by IDN involves various local stakeholders and experts from Norway, the Netherlands and Slovakia in order to define viable and locally acceptable solutions for construction and demolition waste landfilling reduction.
A transdisciplinary study initiated by IDN involves various local stakeholders and experts from Norway, the Netherlands and Slovakia in order to define viable and locally acceptable solutions for construction and demolition waste landfilling reduction and its more circular treatment in the Prešov region, Slovakia.
Around 70% of construction and demolition waste must be prepared for material recovery by 2020 in the European Union. There are additional objectives related to the circular economy, which favor high-grade waste treatment such as direct reuse or upcycling. Construction and demolition waste mainly consist of concrete, wood, gypsum, bricks, metals, glass, plastic, solvents, asbestos, bituminous mixtures, and other materials. Most of these materials can be easily recycled or reused; others must also be treated in an environmentally sound way.
One of the recent studies of IDN on opportunities for the circular economy in the Prešov region shows that construction and demolition waste is one of the few types of waste, which are still predominately being landfilled, rather than recovered. Therefore, solutions for sustainable and circular construction waste recovery are needed in Slovakia and the Prešov region, in particular.
The project’s activities are:
- Two field trips and a number of interviews with various stakeholders of the market of construction and demolition waste were already executed in April and May. The list of involved actors includes local waste collection and recycling companies, building and road construction companies, representatives from the local government and academia, etc.;
- A material flow analysis of waste in the region is complete.
- A set of valuable circular solutions based on quantitative data reinforced by the input from local stakeholders will be presented in August in Slovakia and the Netherlands;
- As a follow-up, proposals for the realization with interested parties in the region of Prešov will be prepared.